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The 51st and 52nd states
National Post ^ | June 7, 2003 | Lawrence Solomon

Posted on 06/07/2003 11:21:23 AM PDT by Mister Magoo

The 51st and 52nd states

Alberta is already more American than Canadian in some ways, while a left-leaning State of British Columbia would keep the Democrats happy

Lawrence Solomon Financial Post

Thursday, June 05, 2003

CREDIT: National Post

A map of "the 51st and 52nd states".

George Bush wants Alberta's oil but, if it were up for grabs, he'd want Alberta even more. With Alberta as America's 51st state, the U.S. would secure 300 billion barrels of recoverable oil reserves, more than exist in Saudi Arabia. U.S. oil imports would plummet and America's great dependence on foreign oil would vanish.

Whenever loose talk arises of Canada becoming the 51st state, as it does from time to time, wise heads scoff at the notion. Getting into the Union isn't easy. No one has made it in almost a half century: Hawaii and Alaska, the last two to win acceptance, had to work long and hard at it. More importantly, many doubt that the U.S. would even want Canada. The U.S. idealizes unbridled free enterprise, rugged individualism and a cultural melting pot; Canada more leans to public-private partnerships, a welfare state and multiculturalism. A United States that swallowed Canada, holus-bolus, would invite a host of problems.

But Alberta, on its own, holds none of Canada's liabilities for Americans. Canada's most conservative province -- anti-Kyoto, anti-gun control, hostile to national health care, receptive to plebiscites and Bible-belt Christians, free of provincial sales tax -- is in some ways more American than Canadian. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien turned his back on President Bush's plan to invade Iraq; Alberta Premier Ralph Klein forthrightly embraced it. A Crawford Ranch North would clash not at all with Republican values.

Because U.S. Democrats would balk at adding a Republican state to the Union, they would want a second, more left-leaning state to be added at the same time, to maintain a balance of power -- this was part of the bargain that had to be struck before Democratic Alaska and Republican Hawaii could be ushered into the Union. The likeliest running mate for Alberta is British Columbia -- a lush and largely liberal urbanized province that has much in common with the west coast states of Washington, Oregon and California. The Vancouver-Seattle-Portland economy is already so integrated that books extol "Cascadia," as the cross-border city-region is sometimes called. To add to America's receptivity to a State of British Columbia, B.C.'s Premier Gordon Campbell, like Premier Klein, also supported the U.S. after our federal politicians attacked it over Iraq.

With B.C. in the U.S. fold, Alaska would be linked to the lower 48 states and, more importantly, the U.S. would have uninterrupted control over the west coast, allowing it to control the border against terrorists and simplifying its desire for National Missile Defence. National defence figured in America's decision in the 1950s to admit both Hawaii and Alaska. The military imperative is no less great today. And behind all the practical reasons for the U.S. to welcome Alberta and B.C. into the Union lies Manifest Destiny, an almost Messianic conviction that all of North America is fated for America. Manifest Destiny, central to American thought from the nation's very foundation, would legitimize any movement to extend the American flag north into what are now Canada's Rocky Mountain provinces.

To Americans, making Alberta and B.C. the 51st and 52nd states would be a no-brainer: It would augment America's security and its economy and fulfill its destiny. To British Columbians and especially Albertans, switching to the U.S. rather than fighting Canada's federal government, though currently on no one's political agenda, could one day become compelling. Many Western Canadians covet the low U.S. taxes and the high U.S. standard of living -- in Canada, only the urban swath between Calgary and Edmonton achieves U.S. levels of affluence. Should the federal government or a central province outrage B.C. or Alberta through a policy or a slight that spins seriously out of control, the stage would be set for the breakup of Canada. Albertans and British Columbians may well reason that they could hardly lose in the bargain. Depending on the outrage -- say, another egregious resource grab such as the National Energy Program of the 1980s -- they may well be right.

But Canada would lose grievously should it lose either of these great provinces, making it imperative that events never be allowed to reach that stage. Keeping the provinces inside Canada by force is no longer an option -- the Supreme Court of Canada has already endorsed a province's departure if its citizens speak clearly on the matter. And neither can we keep Canada together by granting the provinces more powers, as Alberta demands through its proposal for a Triple-E Senate. Alberta's plan would give have-not provinces the great majority of votes, creating a block that would soon pillage the great wealth of wealthy provinces and hasten the day that they leave.

There is only one way to ensure that Alberta and B.C. stay within Canada: To make Canada worthy of Albertans and British Columbians. In my concluding column in this series, I will describe the road to worthiness.

Lawrence Solomon is executive director of Urban Renaissance Institute, a division of Energy Probe Research Foundation. www.Urban-Renaissance.org Email: LawrenceSolomon@nextcity.com; Next: The True North Strong and Free

© Copyright 2003 National Post


TOPICS: Canada; Editorial; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: alberta; britishcolumbia; canada; destiny
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To: Mister Magoo; stands2reason
OK, I was aware of the natural gas, but not so much the oil output of Canada.

However, given all the extra processing necessary to extract Canadian oil, the price per barrel would have to increase a whole lot to make it worthwhile.  That of course, would have lots of repercussions.  Looks like most of that Canadian oil is staying right where it is.

21 posted on 06/07/2003 11:40:04 AM PDT by Incorrigible
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To: Mister Magoo
The most interesting part of this article is the Candian Supreme Court decision that any province could choose to leave Canada. This means Albertans can force the issue. With the exchange rate so bad, they might.

If any Canadian province leaves (We were all thinking Québec, weren't we?) Canada won't survive well. I wonder if it can be argued that Canada's health care system is essentially paid for by Alberta oil.

Now, with regard to the first sentence: Neither Bush nor the US in general is particularly eager to get Alberta's oil. Yes, it'd be nice to have it within US borders for national security purposes, but Canada needs to sell it more than we need to buy it and it won't be free -- US consumers still have to buy it no matter what. It just won't be subject to whatever tariffs or other taxes Canada puts on it.

22 posted on 06/07/2003 11:40:25 AM PDT by AmishDude
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To: Consort
Ontario Independence League.
23 posted on 06/07/2003 11:43:32 AM PDT by Consort
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To: Mister Magoo
Vancouver Island would be a gorgeous addition to the Union. On its highways, careless drivers are yelled at as "Stupid American!"

The only problem is that, if they join the US, those provinces would have to give up speaking English.

24 posted on 06/07/2003 11:44:30 AM PDT by DonQ
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To: fieldmarshaldj
British Columbia is beautiful... who cares about the residents.... buy more acreage and you don't ever have to see them.
25 posted on 06/07/2003 11:46:22 AM PDT by HairOfTheDog
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To: Consort
Republic of Cascadia.
26 posted on 06/07/2003 11:46:52 AM PDT by Consort
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To: fish hawk
Actually there would still only be 50 states as we lose Kalifornia and Arizona back to Mexico

can't we trade these two to canada...

27 posted on 06/07/2003 11:49:05 AM PDT by Bill Davis FR
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To: Cicero
Vancouver?

I've always called it "Tiajuana del Norte".

28 posted on 06/07/2003 11:49:27 AM PDT by AmishDude
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To: Consort
Western Canada Concept.
29 posted on 06/07/2003 11:49:52 AM PDT by Consort
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To: Consort
British Columbia Separatist Movemment.
30 posted on 06/07/2003 11:51:48 AM PDT by Consort
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To: Mister Magoo
Can we get that 51st/52 state map redone with Aztlan removed to see what American will really look like? Thanks.
31 posted on 06/07/2003 11:52:14 AM PDT by xrp
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To: Husker24
Ohh sure, a state can leave our Union, you just have to have somthing like a 3/4 majority of the state legislator and 3/4 of the Senate and 4/5 majority of the house. So basically you are free to succede of no one else wants you.

Interesting concept of self-determination, but true enough.
32 posted on 06/07/2003 12:00:52 PM PDT by Arkinsaw
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To: Bill Davis FR; fish hawk
Actually there would still only be 50 states as we lose Kalifornia and Arizona back to Mexico

can't we trade these two to canada...

Mexico has first dibs....
But that doesn't mean we can't downsize to 48 states and give 'em New York and Massachusettes. Heck, toss in Vermont and make it 47.

33 posted on 06/07/2003 12:01:41 PM PDT by Willie Green (Go Pat Go!!!)
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To: AmishDude
US consumers still have to buy it no matter what.

If Alberta joined the Union would the democrats allow the Albertans to drill for oil in the pristine Alberta environment even if they wanted to? I suspect they would make it into Grand Escalante north forthwith. Alberta should go for independence if they want to control their own destiny. Our Congress might prove to be more disadvantageous to them than their parliament and obviously their Supreme Court is less hostile to their interests than ours would be.
34 posted on 06/07/2003 12:05:19 PM PDT by Arkinsaw
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To: Mister Magoo
Waiting for the day we take Canada and go to war against Quebec.
35 posted on 06/07/2003 12:07:22 PM PDT by Porterville (Screw the grammar, full posting ahead.)
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To: Mister Magoo
Forget it -- the author is confusing the conservative spirit of Alberta with a pro-American one. If anything, Alberta is probably more strongly opposed to joining the U.S. than any other Canadian province is.

When asked to choose between Ottawa and Washington, most Albertans would select Calgary.

36 posted on 06/07/2003 12:09:28 PM PDT by Alberta's Child
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To: Incorrigible
With Alberta as America's 51st state, the U.S. would secure 300 billion barrels of recoverable oil reserves, more than exist in Saudi Arabia.

With Alberta as the 51st state, this oil would promptly be declared off-limits as a result of endless litigation by environmentalists.

37 posted on 06/07/2003 12:11:03 PM PDT by Alberta's Child
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To: Alberta's Child
I think Poland would make a better 51st state.
38 posted on 06/07/2003 12:17:07 PM PDT by Katana16j
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To: Alberta's Child
I don't disagree with that. The only way for Alberta to have it's cake and eat it too would be to first declare independance, immediately tap the oil reserves, and then hammer out an agreement with Washington that they are off-limits to the environmental whackos. In other words, negotiate your entry on your terms, ala Texas.

As for BC, I think I'd rather have Regina or Saskatchewan as the 52'd state.
39 posted on 06/07/2003 12:17:48 PM PDT by ABG(anybody but Gore) (There is a cure for liberalism: common sense)
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To: Alberta's Child
the author is confusing

No Kidding. He's confusing a lot of things and doesn't know much about what he's writing about.

I suspect he's setting the reader up for his second article. Where he proves it.

40 posted on 06/07/2003 12:20:24 PM PDT by Snowyman
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